


Love is a Polaroid

by DetectiveBiggs98



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst and Humor, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:36:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6843208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveBiggs98/pseuds/DetectiveBiggs98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She stiffened so fast the camera nearly spilled out of her hands. No way.<br/>The grassy hill bobbed up and down at a rate that made her head throb from watching, until finally, it stopped at a small boy. Short raven hair, grayish sweater, and a book cradled in his lap. When he looked over his shoulder, she had to clasp a hand over her mouth.<br/>Kaneki.<br/>Of course. How had she not realized? H.N. stood for Hideyoshi Nagachika.<br/>This camera belonged to Kaneki’s best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love is a Polaroid

She found the abandoned camera in the alleyway beside Re:. Being a hideous shade of neon yellow, it caught her eye the moment her foot touched the pavement.

She tossed the trash inside the dumpster, wiping her palms briefly on her skirt before taking it in her hands. It was covered in grime and welts, but on the back, she could make out a faint **_H.N._ ** scribbled in sharpie. Had someone dropped it?

She strolled inside, brushing the dust off the screen with her thumb. If the owner came looking for it, she’d have it waiting beneath the counter. Although, she wasn’t sure what kind of person would come searching for such a crappy thing. Did it even work?

She pushed the button on the top. She could tell by the way it stuck it had been heavily used in the past.

When the screen blinked on, she hummed in vague interest, “Ohh?”

She clicked the first file, just to test it, and a video started.

“~And today is also a lovely day!!” Sung a child. The camera bounced up and down, showing a grassy hill. Then it paneled directly at the sun. “See!?”

She shielded her eyes with a hiss of annoyance.

“And the clouds are--ah! Hey!!”

Okay, the damn thing worked. Now she’d just cut it off and--

“Kaneki!!”

She stiffened so fast the camera nearly spilled out of her hands. No way.

The grassy hill bobbed up and down at a rate that made her head throb from watching, until finally, it stopped at a small boy. Short raven hair, grayish sweater, and a book cradled in his lap. When he looked over his shoulder, she had to clasp a hand over her mouth.

Kaneki.

Of course. How had she not realized? **_H.N._ ** stood for **H** ideyoshi **N** agachika. This camera belonged to Kaneki’s best friend.

“Hide,” His voice was so soft and sweet compared to his obnoxious friend. “What are you doing?”

“Practicing!!” Hide threw his arms up, giving Touka yet another horrific view of the sun. “I decided I’m gonna be a cameraman!!”

“Hide, you want to be something new each week.”

“I’m serious about this one!!”

“You said that last time…”

“Well, _this_ time, I mean it!!”

Kaneki rolled his eyes and held his book up to block his face. “You said that last time too.”

“C’mon don’t be like that ‘Neki!!” He squeaked, circling until the profile of his face was visible.

He received an annoyed glare for his efforts.

She could tell Hide had plopped beside him by the way the image jerked, and the quality kept shifting as he toyed with the settings. “Why are you wearing a sweater anyways, aren’t you hot?”

Out of the corner of the lens, she watched a tiny hand brush against a chin. “N-No, I’m not.”

The video ended.

Touka collapsed into a stool.

Kaneki. It was Kaneki. She set the camera on the counter and ran her hands through her hair. A part of her felt like she’d be intruding by watching any more. But on the other hand, she hadn’t seen him so long...

She shook her head. What was she, some kind of pervert!? Snatching the camera up again, she shoved it into the nearest drawer and stomped upstairs.

Half a day later, she was sliding the drawer open and retrieving the ratty thing again. It had taken every bit of willpower to make it this long. Not wanting to explain to Yomo or shitty Nishiki, she locked herself in her room.

The camera spurred to life, several pictures and videos popping up. She scrolled, noticing a lot of these were of blurry sunsets and small puddles.

The clearest picture so far was of himself. A toothy grin that reached his squinted eyes, a mess of blonde hair, band-aids sprayed along his chubby arms and right cheek. She snickered. Kaneki must’ve taken it.

Another scroll and a video slid into sight. A brief pause, then she clicked it. A whale themed jungle gym froze in the center as it buffered.

Then it cut to a breathy laugh. “All right, it’s on!! Set ‘em off!”

 

_SKREEEEEEEE!!_

 

Touka nearly fell off her bed. What the fu--

 

_POP!! PA-POPOPOPOPOP!!_

 

The midnight sky filled with color, vibrant shades of red and white balls colliding, then scattering on the breeze like dandelions. Kaneki and Hide sat in the mulch, their smooth skin reflecting the lights. They grinned at each other.

“See?” Hide wrapped his arm around Kaneki’s shoulders, yanking him closer. “I told you it would be fun!”

“Y-Yeah.”

“After the success of our play, it’s only right we get to see some fireworks!” He went on. “You were so cool!”

“T-Thank you..”

Ah. She remembered Hide telling her about that. She wished he’d gotten that on tape as well.

“Say I was cool too!!” He whined.

“You were cool too.”

“Wasn’t I!!?” Hide fell over in a fit of laughter, dragging Kaneki with him.

“Hide!!” He fussed, trying to sit up, but getting pulled down again.

After a minute of goofing around, Hide finally let Kaneki up and laid his head on his shoulder. “Too bad your mom couldn’t come.”

“She had work. And your family didn’t come either.” He pointed out dimly, pulling his knees into his chest.

They didn’t say anything else.

Not until an older ladies furious shouts sounded from somewhere off camera.

“What do you brats think you’re doing!!?”

“Oh, shoot! Run!”

They took off, Hide nearly forgetting the camera.

 

It cut off.

 

Touka smiled. She’d never expected Kaneki to be the type of kid to sneak out and set off fireworks in the park. Hide must’ve been a bad influence.

 

She clicked the next video.

 

Hide was grinning down at the camera, noticeably older now. He had to be about middle school age. “--on, I even brought my old camera!!”

It rotated, resting on a rather exasperated Kaneki. “No. It’s dangerous.”

“We’re only gonna explore the back alleyways!!” A hand entered her line of sight, sweeping as though to unveil a painting. “Legend says they’re so complex; people have gotten lost and starved to death!! Now their vengeful souls wander the passageways, still to this day trying to escape!!”

She rested her chin on her knees. What a crazy idea.

“And I don’t want us to be the next victims. Besides, what if there are ghouls? Then what?”

Touka nodded in tune. Ghouls did often use the maze-like alleyways for hunting.

“We get it on tape.” He said, voice brimming with mischief.

Kaneki tucked his arms over his light jacket. “You’re crazy.”

“You know you love me! And besides, if you don’t come you know I’ll just go alone!”

He was silent for a beat. “Fine.”

“You love me?” Hide hummed, already heading for the door.

“I’m coming,” Kaneki muttered.

Touka thought the idea was stupid, but when she saw it was dark outside, it had reached a whole new level of ridiculous. There were definitely ghouls roaming around there. Hungry ghouls. Just how had these two survived long enough to become adults?

They chatted about trivial things the whole way, only stopping when they reached the first alley.

“Day one,” Hide whispered dramatically. “We enter the labyrinth with our heads held--hey!! Kaneki!! Don’t go in while I’m giving our monologue!!”

“Let’s just get this over with.” He grumbled, rubbing warmth into his scrawny arms.

A muffled chuckle. “He’s gonna get so scared... This is so going on youtube.”

As they went deeper and deeper in, much to Touka’s surprise, Kaneki seemed unfazed. Hide kicked a can, sending it skittering into a wall.

“A ghost!!” He shrieked.

Kaneki didn’t even glance at him. “That was you.”

“Busted..”

Hide attempted to scare him in similar ways, but it had no effect. Eventually, he released a huff and lowered the camera. “You do like those horror novels, I guess.”

A rock skidded past his feet.

He stopped.

“Hide,” Kaneki exhaled, finally turning to face him. “Would you knock it off already?”

“T-That wasn’t me..” He stuttered out.

With the shake of the head, Kaneki continued walking.

“H-Hey, I’m being serious!!” He grabbed Kaneki’s shoulder. “M-Maybe we should leave!”

 _“You_ wanted to explore.”

“Yeah, but--” He broke off into a whimper. “I think someone’s watching us.”

“Maybe it’s a ghost.”

“This is getting scary,” He mumbled. “Let’s just leave!”

Scuffling started off camera. Hide shoved the camera into Kaneki’s chest and bolted. Kaneki took a nice shot of his back, then angled the camera to investigate. A cat meowed.

Touka snorted.

Kaneki sighed. “Honestly. What am I gonna do with you, Hide?”

He bent over to stroke its ears.

 

The camera went black.

 

The next couple of videos were of Hide playing pranks on classmates and pulling crazy stunts (that made her wonder again how he managed to survive to adulthood). A few pictures were smashed in between, but not of anything

worthwhile. Then, she stumbled upon an odd one. The camera was a haze of blue; like it was jammed inside a pocket.

She was about to move on when she heard muffled voices.

“--and she said what to you?”

“Hide, I already told you.” That was definitely Kaneki.

“Just say it again, please?”

A long sigh. “She... said I was an eyesore.”

“Right, then she kicked you out? In the middle of the night?”

A pause. “..Yeah. Why do you want me to--”

“Just wasn’t sure I heard you right!” Hide hummed. “Anyways, wanna get takeout? I know a few places that’ll still be open.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, just let me grab my wallet.” Footsteps. The camera was retrieved and set on the desk. She caught a glimpse of his arm before it cut off.

She laid on her side, holding the camera in front of her with outstretched arms.

Who were they talking about? Who kicked him out? Called him an ‘eyesore’? Hide told her Kaneki’s parents died when he was in elementary school. The pit in her stomach only grew when she found more videos like this. A collection of pictureless dialogue, containing stories she’d never thought would come from Kaneki.

Until finally, she got to see the faceless person she’d begun to detest.

Beady eyes stared at the camera, lips drawn back in distaste. “You’re _his_ friend. What do you want?”

“Ah, nothing much just wanna talk a bit.”

She crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe. “About what?”

Hide released a breathy laugh. “About what..” He cleared his throat. “Well, you see, Kaneki plans on moving out tomorrow evening. I’m sure he’s told you.”

When her eyebrows knit together, he went on.

“Or, maybe not. Either way, I doubt you care.”

“If that’s all you have to say--”

“Ah, no, no, of course not! You see, since last year, I’ve been building a case against you.”

That caught her attention. “‘A case?’ What for?”

“Oh, you know, abusing my best friend. Don’t worry,” His fingers appeared at the top of the screen as he stroked the camera. “I have so much evidence you’d be jailed immediately, so you wouldn’t have to bother wasting your precious money on a lawyer.”

She tried to grab for the camera, but he stepped out of reach.

Her labored breaths hissed between her clenched teeth. “You brat. What do you want? Money?”

“‘Money?’ Nah, I’m not like you.” He raised his index finger. “All I want is for you to leave Kaneki alone. Don’t call him, don’t harass him, and don’t ask him for money.” The edge to his tone softened just a tinge. “Kaneki’s a kind person, if I don’t do this, you’ll kill him the same way you killed his mother. I’m not gonna let that happen. I think what I want is pretty simple, don’t you? Kaneki’s aunt?”

Touka relished the look of pure fury his aunt shot Hide.

Good. Be pissed. People like you deserve to suffer.

She straightened her back, brushing loose strands of hair behind her ear in an attempt to compose herself. “Whatever. It’s not like I care about him anyways. He’s not _my_ child.”

On that fucking awful note, she slammed the door in his face.

Hide exhaled, “..Thank God for that.”

Touka snickered, the tension in her chest dispelling.

He turned the camera, so he was facing it, and gave a peace sign. “And that, children, is how you blackmail someone! Ahh, payback is sweet.”

 

The screen cut out.

 

When Kaneki worked at Anteiku, she’d noticed his attachment to his strange friend, and now, she felt like she understood it. Hide was a good guy. He’d gone out of his way to assure his friend's freedom for nothing in return.

Just Kaneki’s safety. He was still obnoxious, though.

 

From here on out, most of the recordings were of him tailing shady people.

Hide seemed to have decided his newest interest was playing detective. None of them stuck out until a familiar bulky figure caught her eye.

She clicked the video, already ablaze with fury.

Yamori.

Hide must’ve had a death wish, the way he stalked the ghoul through town. When Yamori sat outside a café, Hide stared into the camera.

“This is a--” He lifted his hand, revealing a... “-tracking device! Don’t ask how I got my hands on it! It’s a long story!” His cheerful facade cracked, and he drew in a shaky breath. “Don’t worry Kaneki. I’m gonna find you. Just hang in there.”

He placed the camera on the ground and scampered off.

Touka bit her lip as he drew closer to Yamori, pretending to drop change on the ground by his foot. He bent over.

Her heart slammed into her ribs.

His fingers wrapped around the coin, and with an incredible sleight of hand, he’d planted the device on the sole of Yamori’s shoe.

She released a breath when Hide grabbed the camera and ran.

He collapsed behind a convenience store, sliding to the ground with his back to the wall. He burst out laughing, loudly and clearly. “Okay, that was officially the scariest thing I’ve ever done! In my life! Oh my god.” Rubbing the sweat off his brow with his sleeve, he grinned toothily. “Now we wait.”

 _What can a human do against Aogiri?,_ She wondered bitterly.

She watched the recordings anyways. Watched him find their hideout and escape undetected. Watched him call the... CCG?

Her mouth fell. He tipped off the CCG. If it weren't for Hide, the raid on Aogiri wouldn’t have been possible, and Anteiku would never have been able to launch their rescue attempt. Hide was the one who saved Kaneki. Again, he’d done it again!

She scrolled, but the screen bounced back. There was a single video left.

Anxiety thrumming in her veins, she clicked it.

Hide was in front of the camera. His hair was disheveled, and heavy bags hung under his eyes. He cleared his throat and rubbed the nape of his neck. “Uh, so, if you found the camera... It’s yours. I--uh, didn’t actually plan on keeping it in the first place. Actually, I found it myself, and there was a video like the one I’m making now. Fun, right? I was just gonna play with it and abandon it somewhere, like the previous owner.” He stared at the ground as though a hole had opened beneath his feet. Then, his head jerked up. “Ah, don’t w-worry about deleting the videos and pictures! I would’ve done it for you but... I, uh, I couldn’t. Please.” He sniffed. “There’s no point in hanging onto it any longer. Not after...” With a strained smile, he aimed finger guns at the screen. “A-Anyways, enjoy the free camera! Dude! Hide, out!”

The video clicked off, leaving her with the deathly silence of her room. She placed it beside her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Who knows how long she spent like that, before she gritted her teeth, and snatched the camera again. She slung her closet open, tossing everything out until she had a small box in her arms. Wrapping the camera in a handkerchief, she placed it inside with a tenderness she didn’t know she possessed.

Then she pushed the box in her closet and closed the door.

Like hell she was deleting those videos, and she wasn’t going to leave the camera somewhere either. She’d hold on to it, and when _he_ came home, she’d give it to him herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this far! (*＾▽＾)／ I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
